1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a troll fishing apparatus. In a more specific aspect, the present invention relates to a surface runner for troll fishing which is adapted to travel through the water in a plane perpendicular to the surface of a body of water and offset from the side of the boat.
2. Reference to the Prior Art
As is known to those skilled in the fishing art, when trolling for fish, it is necessary to employ some means adjacent the hook, lure or bait to keep the hook, lure or bait at a proper depth below or adjacent the surface of the water. In the past, the most common means has been the attachment of a weight or sinker on the tail line adjacent the hook, lure or bait.
There are numerous disadvantages to the use of such weights or sinkers. The chief among these, as related to the present invention, is the complete lack of control over the position of the appurtenances of the trolling line with respect to the surface of the water and with respect to the boat. More specifically, as the trolling speed is increased, the trolling line appurtenances (including the sinker) assume positions closer to the surface of the water and as the speed is decreased, they sink deeper. The only way a predetermined depth can be maintained is to change the magnitude of the weight or sinker to compensate for changes in boat speed. This, of course, becomes a troublesome and time-consuming task. Further, the trolling line and its appurtenances necessarily extend in a straight line from the rear of the boat, thus contributing to two disadvantages. First, there is a limit to the number of trolling lines which can be carried by the boat without entanglement. Second, and more importantly, the trolling line and its appurtenances are traveling through water where the fish have already been disturbed and agitated by the passage of the boat over them. As is well known, fish, at times, feed at or very near the surface of the water, thus making them even more susceptable to being frightened by the passage of the boat. In order to overcome the disadvantages of conventional weights and sinkers, numerous patents and commercial devices, known as "diving" or "planing" devices, have been designed. These devices generally have a main body portion structured along the lines of a surfboard or hydroplane and travel through the water in the same manner, namely; with the plane of the body portion parallel to or at an angle with respect to the surface of the water. By the placement and manner of attachment of the trolling line and the tail line, carrying the lure, bait or hook, to the body, these devices are designed to dive to substantial depths in the water and then travel at that level until one tugs on the trolling line or a fish strikes the lure, bait or hook, at which time the body rises toward the surface and usually assumes an attitude in the water at which drag on the line is minimal. The trolling line is usually slidably attached to a hook-type trip and control rod so as to automatically respond to such a tug or strike and change the attitude of the body as indicated above. In some instances, a weight is also slidably mounted on a rod so that it either automatically changes position as trolling speed changes or it can be adjusted to compensate for speed changes. Thus, at least some of the disadvantages of conventional weights or sinkers, with respect to the depth of travel of the trolling line and its appurtenances, have been overcome by these devices. However, the most significant disadvantages, which flow from the position of the trolling line and its appurtenances with respect to the boat, have not been overcome, since these devices travel along a generally straight line path behind the boat.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a trolling device which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art. Another object of the present invention is to provide a trolling device which travels through the water along a plane offset from the side of the boat, and does so without the aid of side or stabilizing fins. Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a trolling device which permits the boat to carry a substantially larger number of lines. Another and further object of the present invention is to provide a trolling device which will generally reset itself if an accidental tug on the trolling line or wave action on the device accidentally trips the device.